1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to energy-absorbing pads for interposition between a conventional metal horseshoe and a horse's hoof, and more particularly to an improved pad of the type described which includes a flexible honeycomb panel having at least two regions, each region constructed from resilient materials having different durometers.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It has for some time now been the practice to place resilient pads between a horse's hoof and the horseshoe to absorb some of the shock and concussion that is experienced by the unprotected portion of the hoof as it meets the ground or pavement. It is also known to provide various "frog pads" in the central portion of the hoof for therapeutic purposes.
One prior art horseshoe pad is disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,513,825 to Murphy and is directed to a horseshoe "full" pad made of an energy-absorbing micro-cellular urethane foam having a tough outer skin. The pad is characterized by having a central layer or sheet which covers and can be trimmed to the hoof. Stabilizer bars and heel shock-reducers are mounted into the turf-engaging surface of the pad and rise to about the level of the horseshoe so that they, along with the shoe, take up and absorb some of the shock. A frog pad may also be molded into the hoof-engaging surface of the pad to further protect and stimulate the soft tissue of the hoof.
Since the landing force of a horse is usually four to five times its weight, reducing concussion from an impacting horse hoof onto the ground is not easy to accomplish in a predictable manner, especially in animals which may weigh 1000 pounds or more. Prior to Murphy, most prior art hoof pads were either hard and made of material such as leather, or soft throughout the entire pad and made of nonformed rubber. If it were hard, the pad did not adequately cushion, and it if were soft, the pad did not last. In the Murphy pad, a tough durable outer surface was combined with a soft cushioning interior which, when combined with the functional frog pad and heel shock-reducer, together with central stabilizing bars, yielded improved functional performance.
Another prior art horseshoe pad is disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,289,878 to Landi et al. and is directed to a horseshoe impact pad having a resilient honeycomb panel. The pad includes a molded base of urethane material having a recess formed in an upper or hoof-engaging surface thereof. A resilient honeycomb panel is disposed within the recess and is fixedly secured to the molded base. The honeycomb panel includes a core having a plurality of elastomeric ribbons intermittently bonded and then expanded to form a cellular network. Each ribbon is substantially identical in durometer. The pad may be of full design, or may be generally limited to the hoof area covered by the horseshoe itself. The hoof-engaging surface of the pad may also be configured to include a frog support component. The turf-engaging surface of the pad may be provided with stabilizing ribs, heel shock-reducing projections, etc., and the base may be tapered to provide a desired tilt to the animal's hoof.
Applicants have found that substantial improvements in performance can be obtained if a honeycomb panel used in the horseshoe pad, includes a plurality of regions constructed from resilient materials having different durometers.